Not Immune To Love
by Judas Rising
Summary: **New Chapters** One fan makes Test realise he isnt Immune to absolutely everything in the WWF... please read and review. Thank You for the reviews so far, much appreciated, keep them rolling in!
1. Feelin' Loved

As usual, I dont own anything, drew owns himself, yadda yadda yadda. 

Distribution: Just tell me where please!!:) 

Please read and review people, thanx a bunch!!! 

Not Immune To Love 

Andrew Martin, better known to his friends as Drew, and even better known to wrestling fans as Test, walked through the halls of the Kansas Colliseum, ready to go and commentate with the King and Michael Cole for the match between Scotty and Jay. 

As he neared the gorilla position, he spotted Jay and Scotty going through some last minute changes to the match. 

"Hey dudes, ready for the match?" Drew greeted his friends along with a friendly slap on the back. 

"Hey Drew, yeah man, were ready, u ready to kick me in the face?" Laughed Scotty as he tried his best to put on a macho face. 

"Aw Scotty, at least then you can get your girlfriend to kiss you better!" Drew told Scott in between laughs. 

"Oh yeah, make it look real bad okay?" Scotty told Drew, trying his best not to sound like a love struck seventeen year old. 

"Drew, man your up now." Jim, the stage director told Drew just as his music hit. 

"See you out there guys." 

As Drew made the long walk out to the commentators table, he started thinking about his new role as a heel in the WWF. Sure he enjoyed making the crowd angry with his continous assault towards the babyfaces of the federation, it allowed him to show off his wrestling ability in a new way, but he did miss hearing the crowd cheer for him and show their appreciation. But, such is the business, whatever earns ratings is the way to go. Every fan hates him, thats what was meant to happen. 

That last thought stuck in his mind as he neared the table. That was until he saw THAT girl, holding THAT sign. A very attractive girl with reddish hair, somwhat similar to Lita's, with huge brown eyes and a big, sweet smile was holding a sign that made Drew smile himself. The simple sign in black marker read "I Still Love You Test !!!". He stepped closer to the girl, looked deep into her eyes, then looked down at the sign. He wasn't sure what to do next, he didn't want to break character, but he just couldn't help himself. Drew gave the girl a playful smile, put his hand over his heart and said "Aww thank you sweetie !" 

The response he got was a huge smile on her face and the words "your welcome" whispered shyly. The girl was now blushing, so Drew kept on walking, making sure he flashed her his trademark smile when he sat down. 

As King and M.C. Started talking to Drew about his immunity in the WWF, Drew couldn't help but think: "Maybe they dont all hate me after all !!" 


	2. Break The Cycle

Break The Cycle 

Drew watched as the young lady he had become mesmerised by jumped around and screamed for Scotty as his match against Jay came to a close. 

"Ouch, what the hell was that for?" He asked Jerry "The King" Lawler, rubbing his arm where King had just pinched him. 

"Are you gonna answer some questions or are you just going to stare at her all night?" Jerry asked with a smug smile on his face, covering the microphone so nobody could hear what he said. 

Uh Oh, busted!!! Drew smiled sheepishly at Jerry and stole one last glance at the girl before he turning to pay attention to Jerry and Michael, only to find her soft brown eyes staring straight back at his blue ones. She smiled shyly at him and turned away quickly, mainly due to the fact that she was blushing. 

"Man, I gotta stop making her blush, shes gonna be permanently red in the face soon, if I have anything to do with it anyway!" Drew thought to himself, quickly making up some stupid excuse for his his lack of attention towards Michael Cole. 

"Hey, M.C, can I help it if your boring?" 

" Haha, someone finally told you the truth, eh Mike?" Jerry asked while laughing at his good friend. 

"Shut Up King!" 

Ignoring the banter between the two commentators, Drew noticed it was almost his time to interfere in the match, so he started to act interested in the match. The trouble was, he couldnt keep his eyes off that girl. No, wait, she wasn't a girl, she was a young lady, a ver beautiful young lady. Great, now he was starting to sound like a teenager on valentines day. "Dude you seriously need to start dating more" he mimbled to himself as he slid into the ring. 

He thought about his last girlfriend, Macy, as he laid down for Scotty to start "The Worm". She had only been after Drew for his money and fame, and he wasn't completely innocent either. She was a ring rat, that much was obvious, but he let himself get involved with her, the loneliness too much to handle. He was used to girls chasing him for his money, or always wanting to date "Test", WWF superstar, not Drew, fun loving guy from Toronto. The more he thought about it, he had never actually gone after a girl, never made the first move, mainly because he had never felt an instant attraction towards any girl. Well, at least not till now. 

Drew quickly cleared his head of these puzzling thoughts when he nearly missed his cue to get up and kick Scotty in the face. The big "size 15 to the face", as J.R liked to call it, actually sounded a lot more painful that it was. He quickly looked down at Scotty, pretending to growl insults to him, who winked at Drew to let him know he was fine. The last thing Drew needed right now was to injure a friend of his. 

He exited the ring with Jay hot on his heels. Drew looked over to ringside to see the girl looking straight back at him, a huge smile on her face. Jay followed his gaze and let out a low whistle between his teeth. Drew just laughed at his good friend, he knew there was nothing to worry about with Jay, the guy was married after all. Jay and his wife, Denise, along with Adam and every other friend of his in the locker room had tried to set Drew up on numerous blind dates, and none of them had ever worked out. 

He knew his friends ment well, but he had just never clicked with any of the girls. And here he was, clicking with a girl he hadn't actually had a converstaion with. Well not a real one anyway. 

** Ashley's P.O.V.** 

"Oh God, he's looking at me again!" Ashley thought as she tried to restrain herself from jumping over the barrier and just kissing the guy. That guy who was making her blush every two minutes with a flash of that perfect smile. That same guy who had actually come over and spoken to her when he didn't have to. That same guy was Andrew Martin, better known as Test. 

"Trust me to fall for the one guy I can't have!" She mumbled to herself as she watched him and Christian retreat to the back. And there he goes, she thought, as she watched his toned back disappear from view. " Well girl, you need to pick your jaw up off the floor and pull yourself together, 'cos your never gonna see him again, well, at least not that close anyway." Ashley silently scolded herself, but then smiled as she remembered they way he had flirted with her earlier. It was true though, she would never see him up close and personal again, so she might as well savour the moment. 

She had no idea how wrong she was. 


	3. It Doesn't Matter

It Doesn't Matter 

Ashley was too involved in the match between Stone Cold and William Regal to notice the big, muscly guy tap on her shoulder at first. She felt the second tap though, and turned around to yell at the person, but thought twice about it when she noticed just how huge he was. So instead she just smiled and asked what the problem was. 

"Miss, I have been asked to keep you behind after the show, so if you could please wait in your seat until everyone leaves, it would be greatly appreciated." The guy who I then recognised as Jim Dotson, Head of WWF Security told me. 

"Umm, why? I swear it wasnt my fault!" Ashley started to plead with Jim. 

"What isn;t your fault?" 

"Whatever it is you think I did, I swear I haven't done anything!!" Ashley told him with a wavy voice. 

Jim couldn;t help but laugh at that. "You haven;t done anything Miss, at least not that we're aware of. Someone backstage would like to meet you, so if you would wait here for me when the show finishes, that would be fine." Jim told the young lady who visibly relaxed after his little speech. 

" Uh okay, i'll be here." 

Ashley relaxed after hearing that she wasn't in trouble. A thought suddenly struck her, and she turned around to ask Jim who wanted to meet her, only to bump into some drunk guy who yelled at her for being clumsy. 

"Sorry" she mumbled, sitting down to watch the rest of the match. 

As the match grew to an end, and Smackdown itself finished, Ashley stayed exactly where she was, waiting for Jim to come and get her, and tried to figure out who wanted to meet her. 

"What if it's... Nah, it couldn't be...but he did smile...but he smiles at everyone...but I thought he did watch me an awful lot tonight." Ashley thought out aloud to herself, smiling at the thought of Test being the one who wanted to meet her. But, thats impossible, she thought as she straightened her clothes out whn she saw Jim approaching. 

***** 

Drew watched the girl from the gorilla position, hiding behind the curtain. He laughed as he saw her looking around, lost in her own little world. She looked so good in her dark flare jeans and blue singlet top. He found himself wondering what it would feel like to run his fingers through that flame coloured hair with what looked like natural curls through it. And her scent. When he was standing in front of her, he could pick out her scent from the gross mix of body sweat and beer in the crowd. She smelt like almonds and vanilla. He knew that scent well... His sister used a moisturiser of the same flavour. 

He smiled to himself as he thought of his family. His Dad and brother, David would crack up at this one when he told them he fell in love with a fan holding a sappy sign at an event. Naturally Nancy, his sister, and his Mum would think it was the cutest thing ever. 

He kept on smiling as he saw her straighten out her clothes when she saw Jim coming her way. It had taken forever to convince Jim to let her backstage. He had to go check with Vince, but he was too busy and told Jim to handle it. It ended up costing Drew a free drink for Jim the next time they went to a club. That wasnt too bad, he could handle one drink. Seeing the two make their way backstage, Drew quickly ran to the dressing room to get rid of the other guys so he could have a moment alone with his belle. He had grown to call her belle, as next to Jim she reminded Drew of "The Beauty and The Beast". He ran into the locker room to find Adam, Jay, Jeff, Matt, Rob (Van Dam) and Amy, who was sitting on her boyfriend Matt's lap. He looked around at them and asked, or more like told them to leave, for a few minutes. 

"Uuumm, let me think about that..NO!!" Jay said, laughing at his own joke. 

He looked up to see Drew wasnt laughing. 

"Oh come on, it was funny." 

"No, it wasnt, now come on guys, I need to speak to this girl alone, and, well, correct me if i'm wrong, but you all being in here does not mean we are alone." 

"Why dont you just go outside?" Adam asked, a wicked smile spreading across his face."Unless of course we need to make sure you two dont get up to anything freaky!" He continued, making everybody laugh. 

Hey Adam.." Drew said to his friend. 

"Yeah Man?" 

"Shut Up!" Drew yelled jokingly at Adam. 

"OOOHH, come on guys, lets leave the loverboy alone for awhile." Amy told the rest of the group. 

"NO," Jeff said "I wanna see this girl that has Drew dancin' in circles." Jeff laughed along with everyone else. 

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Amy opened the door to reveal the girl Drew had been talking about all night standing behind Jim, looking a bit intimidated. 

"Hey Aimes" 

"Hey Jim, how are you?" 

"Pretty good thanks, I gotta run, but this is the girl Drew wanted to meet." Jim said, moving aside to reveal a star struck Ashley. 

"Thanks Jim, I'll look after her now" Amy thanked Jim, followed by Ashley as he ran off down the hall. 

"Did I just hear right?? Drew wanted to meet me? As in Test?" Ashley asked a laughing Amy. 

"Yeah, the one and only, Hi, Im Amy" Amy introduced herslef, shaking Ashleys hand. 

"Wow, very nice to meet you, Im Ashley." Ashley felt at ease with Amy, which was a good thing. 

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Drew." Amy led Ashley into the room. 

Ashley entered the room behind Amy, suddenly feeling very out of place. Drew quickly spotted her and led her back outside. She laughed when she heard Amy say "And that was Ashley" to a laughing group. 

"Hi,"Drew said to a shaking Ashley. 

"Um Hi,"Ashley replied to Drew 

" Im Drew, but I guess you already knew that." Drew introduced himself to Ashley, both of them laughing slightly. 

" Haha, yeah I did, Im Ashley, call me Ash, but I bet you DIDN'T already know that!" Ashley told Drew, who was laughing at her quick comeback. 

"No I didn''t but I do now." 

"Your shaking." He said. 

"I didnt notice actually, but im pretty cold, I forgot my jacket, and nerves get to me" She told Drew, "And now im babbling, sorry." 

"Dont worry about it, it can be pretty nerve-wracking I suppose, being around people you like, but dont worry, we dont bite, well, except for Adam, you have to be careful of him!" Drew jokingly told Ashley, who was now giggling uncontrolabley. 

" Well, do you mind if I ask why you wanted to meet me? Not that I mind or anything, im just curious." 

"Well, Ash,"Drew stopped to smile at the sound of her name on his lips, yep, he could get used to that, "I just had htis feeling that I needed to get to know you, so here you are." 

"Here I am indeed." A smiling Ashley told Drew. 

"I know I probably sound like a complete idiot, and we only just met, but would you like to go out sometime? We're all heading out to a club now, would like to come with us?' He asked hopefully. 

"Are you asking me out on a date?" She asked back just as hopefully. 

"What would you say if I said yes?" 

"Oh hell yeah" She told him laughing. 

"Well, then yes I am!! Come on, lets get you introduced to people so we can go." Drew said, taking her hand and leading her back into the room. 

They soon left, Ashley making plans to meet them at the club in her car. She stepped into her car and snuggled into the warm leather jacket of Drew's that he had lent her. He was so nice, so caring, so hot, man she could go on forever. He had actually asked her, her.. Ashley Collis, out on a date. She wasnt sure if she could trust her feelings on this one, because they were telling her that she was in love. No way.. Right?? 

She pulled out of the parking lot thinking about the way his hand had felt linked with hers. Now she was headed out for a fun night of dancing and laughing with her new found friends. She had no idea what was ahead of them...No Idea. 


	4. Dancin' in The Moonlight

Dancin' in the Moonlight 

Ashley pulled into a car-space next to Drew's car in the club parking lot. She noticed he was still sitting in their, so she figured they had only just pulled into the place. She started to get out of the car and noticed that Drew was getting out of his car at the same time. Ashley smiled at the thought that he actually liked her, and there was no doubt in her mind that she actually liked him too. That thought kept her bright smile plastered to her face as she stepped into stride with Drew, walking towards the club entrance. 

"So, you ready for a fun-filled night of dancing and drinking?" Drew asked the petite red head beside him, noting how good the jacket looked on her, it looked a lot better on Ashley than it did on Drew. She wasn't that much shorter than Drew, she was quite tall for a female, standing in at about 6 feet tall. 

"The dancing; yes, but not the drinking." She told him, wrapping her arms around the too big jacket. 

"No drinking??!!! What's going on there eh?" Drew asked, chuckling as Ashley rolled her eyes at him, flashing a cute little smile along the way. 

"Someone has to look out for all you alcoholics!" She told him cheekily. 

They entered the club, with Amy stepping between Drew and Ashley to talk to Ash. The two girls started giggling at something Amy had said, so Drew left them to grab a seat for them at the table. As he apprached the table Adam started making kissing sounds and singing "Ashley and Drew sitting in a tree..". The whole group cracked up laughing, even Drew had to suppress a laugh. 

Ashley and Amy sat down at the table, still laughing, when Ashley's favourite song came on. Her eyes lit up as she looked over at Drew, who had the same look in his eyes. No words were spoken us he got, took Ashley's hand and led her onto the dance floor. He wrapped his long arms around her slender body as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. They swayed in perfect unision to the beat of "It's Been Awhile" by Staind. They both relaxed their muscles to the slow beat of the music. 

Ashley looked up at Drew, smiling at him, to find his eyes were clouded over with the heavy haze of passion and desire. She looked at him, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she opened her mouth to say something, but instead felt Drew's lips crashing down upon her soft ones. She gasped into his open mouth, sending trembles through Drew's body. Ash Ashley adjusted to the kiss and deepened it, Drew slid his arms down to circle her waist. Ashley moved her palm to rest on his cheek, moving her thumb in small circles across his soft flesh. 

As the song ended, they both pulled away, Ashley unsure of what to do or say. Drew noticed her nervous small, gave her a reassuring smile of his own, took her hand and lead and lead her back to the table, where everyone was staring at them with their mouths hanging open. 

"Hey Adam," Drew poked his friend in the side, laughing when his friend only looked at him, 

"Close your mouth dude, your attracting flies!" He continued, laughing at the look on all his friends faces. 

******* 

Ashley stood on the verandah of her townhouse she rented in Clearwater, Fl., her brown eyes laughing along with the rest of her body. Drew stopped laughing long enough to take a much needed breathe of fresh air. The two had spent the remainder of the evening dancing, talking, laughing and exploring each others mouths with their own. The rest of the group thought they made an adorable couple, yet they still teased them mercilessly. Friends!! What can you do with them? 

Both Ash and Drew had learnt a whole lot more about each other in the short time they actually spoke that evening. Drew had learnt that Ashley was a phoographer, based in Florida, but she travels around the world occasionally. She was 23 years old, had moved to Clearwater three years ago and loved where she lived. She was an avid sports fan, which Drew loved. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that Ashley followed a different team to him. 

"Come one, you can't be serious! The Avalanches have a whole lot more going for them than the Maple Leafs!!" Drew had told Ashley, who refused to lsiten to him. 

"No way!!! Your dreamin' boy!!!" She told him laughing all the while. 

Ashley had also learnt a lot about Drew that night. At 27 years old, he was five years older than her, but neither cared about that. Drew lived in Tampa,Fl, which was only a fifteen minute drive from Ashley's house. He was also a huge sports fan, which gave them a lot to talk about. They mainly spoke about their childhoods and exchanged stories of growing up, whic caused a lot of tears from laughing way too much. It was a fun night, one that had ended all too quickly. And that brought them to where theey were now, saying goodbye. 

"So..."Ashley said, breaking the silence. 

"So, i'd really like to see you again." Drew told her, smiling at her under the stars. 

"Me too, i'd like to see you again." 

"Well, we have another show tomorrow, would you like to go out during the day and maybe after the show?" 

"Yeah, that sounds good, thanks. And thank you for this evening, I had a great time." Ashley told him sincerely. 

"No problem at all, I had a great time as well. I really like you!" 

"He likes me... He really likes me!!" Ashley said in her best molly holly voice, laughing at how stupid she sounded. 

"Haha, I really do like you." Drew told her, laughing at her lame impersonation. 

"So, I'll pick you up her at about 10.00 in the morning?" He asked Ash, slowly closing the distance between them. 

"Yeah, that sounds fine, so, i'll see you then?" 

"Definitely" Drew said, leaning down to kiss her. 

Their lips met ina heated kiss, leaving them both breathless. "If thats the way he kisses me goodnight, I want him to do that every night, and tuck me in too." Ashley thought as they pulled apart. 

"G'night Ash" Drew said as he walked back to his car. 

"G'night Drew" Ashley replied as she stepped inside her house, going to bed witht he biggest smile on her face ever. 

Both Drew and Ashley retired to their beds that night, thinking of the possibilities, trying to anticipate what would happen next. No matter how much they thought, neither could expect what would happen in the near future. 


	5. Broken Pieces

Broken Pieces 

***Four Months Later*** 

Ashley finished wrapping the small box, gently placing it under the Christmas Tree. It was Christmas Eve, and she was getting ready for Drew to come home for the holidays. "Home" was Drew's house, which Ashley found herself sleeping at more often than her own house. Not that she minded of course! 

It had been four months since that magical night when Drew and Ash first met at the WWF show. A lot had changed since then, for both of them. They had grown closer over the months, despite Drew being on the road constantly. No matter how long he was away for, no matter how long Ashley had to wait at home alone for his calls, the time apart seemed to draw them closer. They were in love, that was obvious, not only to themselves but everyone around them. Ashley had become great friends with Drew's close group of friends, Amy in particular. The two were constantly out together whenever they were in the same area. It was becoming a regular thing for Ashley to travel to different areas with Drew and the rest of the WWF when she didn't have a set project. When she was home, however, her time was spent working, talking on the phone to Drew or hanging out with Allanah, Denise and Jessica, the girlfriend and wives of Adam, Jay and Chris, respectively. 

The new found group of friends were as close as eas in a pod, as Chris often called them, and all the boys were protective of not only their partners, but also their friends. Such were the acts that closed the gap in the close knit group, whose bond often seemed thicker than blood. Nothing could get in between the girls, and nobody had ever dared to separate them. Until now. 

As Ashley was putting the finishing touches of her make up on, the phone rang in the next room. Too lazy and preoccupied to run and get it, she let the answering machine pick it up. But when she ventured downstairs to listen to the message, she would wish she had answered the call in the first place. 

She pressed the button, to hear a female voice wanting to speak to Drew. 

"Hi Drew, it's Juliette here, I was just calling to ask how you are and thank you for a great night last week. I had a really great time, we'll definitely have to do that again next time your in Baltimore. I'll try again later, Merry Christmas, Buh Bye." 

Ashley hit the replay button, not wanting to believe her ears right now. As the machine replayed the message from "Juliette", the same message that shattered her whole world in seconds, she sunk to the floor, her knees tucked up under her trembling body, the tears becoming too much to handle as they poured down her face. 

****** 

Drew opened his front door about an hour later, looking into the dining room to see a candle light dinner ready on the table. 

"Yum yum yum, somebody's been busy!" He chuckled, walking further into the house, dropping his bag on the floor in the process. 

"Ash, were are you babe?" 

He walked into the living room to see Ashley sitting there, staring back at him with a blank look on her tear stained face. 

"Babe, what happened?? Are you okay??Whats wrong?" A concerned Drew asked his girlfriend, rushing to her side. 

Ashley remained silent as she held out a single hand, stopping Drew in his tracks, slightly pushing him back from the couch. 

"Dont come near me!" She said, an eerily calm edge to her voice. 

"But..whats wrong?" 

Ashley said nothing as she got up off the couch, silent tears running down her cheeks as she pressed the play message button on the answering machine, her heart breaking as she did. She remained silent as she picked up her own bag beside the door, running to her car, the slick rain and snow mixing together with the salt tears running down her face. Her eyes were swollen and red, she was in no condition to drive, but she needed to get out of here. 

Meanwhile, inside, Drew listened to the message, a puzzled look on his face. His first instinct was to run after Ashley, but something was telling him to listen to the message. 

"You have one new message....Hi Drew, it's Juliette, I was just calling....." 

It was then Drew heard Ashley pull out of the driveway, and it was then he realised what it was that had Ashley so upset. He mentally slapped himself, angry that he hadn't told Ash about Juliette in the first place. Tears stung his eyes as he realised she wasn't coming back, the silence she had given him was more of a reality check than any words could ever be. 

He sunk down on the couch, letting his feelings get the better of him. The women he loved, the girl of his dreams had just run out of his life over a misunderstanding and he couldn't do anything about it. He knew the way Ashley worked, her philosophy was : "No guy is worth crying over, and the one who is will never make you cry". He obviously wasn't the right guy then, or at least she thought so. But how could they not be, they were perfect together! God, why hadn;t he just told her about Jules?? One stupid mistake had cost him the best thing in his life. 

As Drew pondered his mistake, the silver wrapping on the small box under his Christmas Tree caught his eye. He leant over and picked the small box up. He opened the card and read it, wiping away the tears that kept on falling. 

It read : Dear Drew, 

Merry Christmas!!! I got you, well actually us, this present to symbolise the love we have for each other. They are both matching, the only difference is the size and name engraved in them. As soon as I saw them, I knew they were perfect. I hope you like it. I know that when I wear mine, you will be in my thoughts and heart, more than now. I hope you knwo I love you, with each and every breathe I take, more and more each day! 

Love always, 

Your belle, Ashley. 

He ripped open the paper to find two matching silver rings, each with the celtic design engraved aound the outside, the same design he had shown Ashley one day while they were shopping. On the inside of the rings, the word "_forever" _ was engraved. More tears slipped down his cheeks as he put the ring on, a perfect fit. He lay down on the couch, falling asleep clutching Ashley's ring, the meotional distress of the day getting the better of him. 


	6. Under The Mistletoe

Under The Mistletoe 

** Christmas Day** 

Ashley woke up late, around 11.00am, with a killer headache. It didn't take long to figure out the cause of the headache. Last night had been the worst night of her life. The voice of that girl, Juliette, and the look on Drew's face brought more tears to her eyes, but she refused to let her emotions get the better of her. Again! 

She drug herself into the bathroon and quickly showered and dressed. Even though she was freshly showered, Ashley still looked like crap, and she felt it too. No matter how many cucumbers she out on her eyes, the puffiness and redness around her eyes was still evident. 

She sat down on the couch, resting her head on the pillows. She lookes across the room to find Drews leather jacket hanging over the back of the chair. Just the sight of her ex, well they hadnt officially broken up yet but it was close enough, boyfriends jacket, the same one which had given her warmth and comfort when he wasnt here made her break down in tears. 

The doorbell broke Ashley out of her trance, making her jump out of her seat. She wasn;t expecting anyone today, and she didn't really feel like talking to Drew just yet. Checking for Drews head peeking over the glass in the door, and not seeing it there, she proceeded to open it, wondering who was there. Her suspicions were confirmed when she found Allanah and Adam standing there, worried looks on their faces. She tried to force a smile, but only started to cry more,and was quickly enveloped by Allanah's arms in a warm hug. Adam then put his arms around the two girls, soothing Ashley with comforting words as he lead them inside her house. 

Once Ashley had calmed down and they had all settled down onto the couch, Adam asked the first question. 

"So, how are you doing?" 

"I feel like I just found out my boyfriend has been cheating on me, but, gee, other than that, just peachy." She told him in a sarcastic. She soon felt guilty and mumbled a quiet sorry to him. 

"Its all right, you always have been the smartass in emotional times!" That got a laugh out of them all. 

"How did you guys find out?" Ashley asked the question she was intrigued to hear the answer to. 

"Well, we rang Drew this morning to say Merry Christmas, and he was crying, and then he told us the whole story, and we came here to see hwo you were." Allanah told her friend, leaving out the part where herself and Adam went over to Drew's house this morning and devised a plan to get the two back together. 

"I should have seen it coming I suppose, it's all my fault anyway!" Ashley said, chocking back the tears that threatened to escape. 

Adam almost fell out of his seat when he heard that. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"It's true Adam, he deserves someone better, someone who can be with him the whole time, obviously im not good enough or else he wouldn't have doen this!" Ashley let go, letting everything out in the open. 

"Ash thats not true, you are good enough, but did you stop to think that maybe that chicks just a friend?" 

"Wouldnt he tell me if he met up with a friend Al?" 

"I suppose, you got a point there." 

******** 

Drew stepped out of his house, ready for a very long night. He was on his way to Adam and Allanah's house for their Christmas dinner. They had been over to visit him earlier, checking up on him , and somewhere along the line they had comeup with a plan to get him and Ash back together. It was a bit risky, but he was willing to try anything once, he would do anything to get Ashley back. Without Ash, there was a huge gap in his heart. 

Adam had called earlier to let Drew know that Ashley was definitely coming to dinner. It had taking a lot of persuading on their part to convince Ash to join them and the rest of the group, but she finally gave in, not thinking if Drew would be there. 

So here he was, standing outside Adams house, trying to plan what he was going to say. He did have it planned out but decided to go with his heart, and just tell Ashley how he felt in his heart. That was if she even gave him a chance to explain himself, and the way things were looking, she wasn't. Everyone stopped talking when Drew locked eyes with her, waiting for someone to make the first move. Everybody except Ashley knew the story behind Juliette and knew Drew was innocent, now it was Ashleys turn to discover the truth, but first she had to gove him a chance. 

******** 

Ashley kept staring at Drew, not believing he was there, right in front of her. Part of her wanted to run up and kiss him, and just forget about what happened, but the other half wanted to go up and slap him for all the pain he had put her through. 

She realised everyone was waiting to see what would happen next, and right now she didn't have the guts to actaully talk and discuss things with Drew. She turned to Allanah and said, 

"Thanks for inviting me, but I dont feel up to this, im just gonna go home." 

As she was putting on her jacket, Drew said, "No, you stay, i'll go."and he proceeded to put his jacket back on. 

"Both of you are staying here, but you will sort this thing out. Now, keep your jackets on 'cos your going outside in the snow, and i'm not letting you back in until you have reached a mutual decision, got it? Yyou both have things to say, so here your chance. Now get your asses outside!" Allanah demanded, pushing her two friends out onto the verandah, locking the door behind them. 

Once outside, Ashley wrapped her arms around herself, not sure where to start. There was so much she wanted to say, but she wasnt sure if she really wanted to hear the answers she needed. But one way or another, she was going to hear them anyway. 


	7. Fresh Start

Fresh Start 

***** 

"So..."Ashley started, trying to break the silence. 

"So..."Drew replied, trying to sort his thoughts in his head. 

"Look I .." They both started at the same time. They shared a laugh at the irony of the situation, with Ashley telling Drew to go first. 

"No, you, I still dont know what to say." 

"Well that makes two of us. Actually, I do know what to say. I wanna know, what dont you like?" 

"Huh?" Drew asked, now more confused than he had been to start with. 

"What did I do so wrong, or what was so bad that made you feel the need to cheat on me?" Ashley asked him, trying to swallow back the huge lump that had formed in her throat. 

Realisation dawned on Drew as he realised why he had been recieving this attitude from Ashley. She really thought he had been cheating on her. He had thought she got the idea that he had met up with an old girlfriend. "God, how stupid could I be??" He thought to himself. 

He couldnt help but laugh, which totally set Ashley off. 

"What the hell is your problem Drew? Huh??? I thought you wanted to work this out, but if your just gonna laugh im not gonna even bother!! Geez, Allanah and Adam went to so much trouble to do this 'cos they think were a good couple, but maybe they were wrong. How could I be so dumb as to think you actually wanted to work this out. See ya later Drew, have a nice life." Ashley yelled at him, walking off the verandah onto the snow covered path. 

"Its now or never buddy!" Drew thought as he jumped in front of Ash. 

"Wait, Ash, let me explain, please!"He didnt wait for an answer. "I was laughing at the situation because its all just one big understanding. Juliette, the girl who left the message is my cousin. Shes like a little sister to me, and last week I met up with her cos she lives in the area we were in. I went out and had dinner with her and her husband Mike, and the only reason I didn't tell you was because I didnt really think about it. It was so far off my mind, and I hadn;t really thought about it since I got home. And when she said we should do that again, she wants you to come along because she wants to meet the woman im so in love with. Please believe me, its the truth." 

He took Ashleys hand in his own, and it was then she noticed he was wearing the ring she got him for Christmas. 

"But Drew, its not just that, you deserve someone who can be with you all the time, I feel so selfish always spending so much time with you when you get home because I miss you so much, you deserve someone more glamorous Drew!" Ashley pleaded with Drew, avoiding his eyes the whole time. 

She knew if she looked into those piercing blue eyes of his, she wouldn't have the strength to turn around and leave. 

"What are you on about? I deserve the woman I love, and thats you Ash! Cant you see how much I love you?" 

"I do but.." 

"No buts, we were meant to be together Ash, and I won't leave you alone till I know that we are together. I know I'm not home a lot, but we can work through that, after all, I think that is what has made us so strong. And when I am home, I love nothing more than to comehome to you." 

"Then why are we fighting if were so strong?" Ashley asked him, this time looking straight into his eyes. 

"I think we started off in the wrong way. I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you, but we started a relationship where neither one of us knew what we were getting into. We weren't ready to take that huge step into a relationship that would be missing one half most of the time. We weren't prepared, and now we're paying for it, fighting over petty little things. As happy as I am that we were/are together, I wish we had of started normally, you know meeting properly at first." 

Drew stopped when he noticed Ashley smiling. 

"I know what you mean. I almost wish we were complete strangers, so we can have a fresh start."she said, not losing stride when she stuck out her hand to Drew. 

"Hi, i'm Ashley Collis, nice to meet you." 

"Andrew Martin, and the pleasure is all mine." 

The two made their way back into the house, Ashley slipping her ring on her finger. It would be a slow journey to complete understanding and happiness in her relationship with Drew, but one that both of them were more than willing to take. 

***THE END*** 


End file.
